Turquois lakes and mountains

We are gradually heading for Roma, but being on the east coast we have to cross back to the west. We decide to take an indirect route through a couple of national parks.

What this means is rough roads through incredible landscape…Oh and of course, lots of hill towns. They pop up everywhere, just when you weren’t looking, another one. See there in the distance, you think it is just a hill, no, some has built a town on top!

We start to climb again, and we are soon carpeted either side by snow. We are beginning to realise why Italy has such bad roads, not only bad roads, but bad operatives of snow ploughs, one had skimmed off a good 50mm of tarmac, now that doesn’t make Dora happy!

It has been a real surprise to me the centre of Italy. I obviously missed this geography lesson thirty years ago. I expected hot this far down, and we have high mountains, snow and ice.

It makes for great driving, if a little spine jolting.

Moody, with the misty cloud, and the bright reflections off of the snow.

Unsurprisingly there is no one else around. The roads are practically clear.

From the pass, we drop down onto a plain, vast and barren.

A rail track also winds its way through here, and heads into the mountains, Surely not at this time of year.

Eventually we get to a village. They have really been piling up the snow, in places it is over 2m deep. Yesterday we were having a picnic on the beach.

It must be really difficult living with this for several months every year.

Somehow they seem to cope.

The village is called Pescocostanzo and there are a surprising amount of Italian tourists out for a weekend visit.

Presumably that one is abandoned, otherwise how do they get in!

A rather fleeting visit, we pop into the tourist information, and as we suspect, the mountain route we had chosen is closed, we will have to chose a lower road.

We head down the valley. The motorway, in the distance, is heading for Roma, but we still want to see these national parks

Still incredible engineering, and quite cheap, as toll roads go, cheaper than France and Spain.

Old and new engineering, cheek by jowl.

We head away from the Autovia, back up the valley, the road is snaking wildly.

Narrow tunnels, Dora is not that keen on these.

Somehow, up there is a village, clinging on by its fingernails. That is a really narrow crest we wont be going up there.

Further up the valley and we get to a dam, behind which is the most turquois lake imaginable.

Is it the depth, the bottom surface, or the sediments that the river carries that causes the colour. We have seen similar vividness in Monfrague, central Spain. If you know, answer by email please.

We are tempted to inflate the kayaks, but it is too cold.

Further up is another lake, not so blue this time, but it does have some aires where we can stay the night. One looks like a formal campsite, we are sure they will charge here, another is fine, but we head off to the village first to have a look around.

We get close and cannot believe what we see, another town clinger to a ridge. Not sure how Dora is going to climb up there

 

The road is easier than it looks, so we park up to have a look around.

Cute, beyond belief, lots of narrow streets, and just a bit run down.

Lots of steps, and still some snow hanging around.

And very quiet.

Susana loves all the nooks and crannies, so keeps taking lots of photos.

I cannot stop. What is different, it is attractive. And I am only going to be here once. SM

This is the second nativity we find. Maybe they have a bit of a passion for them here. The first one was in a chaotic church, which looked more like an antiques shop, it was so full of junk people seemed to have just left around.

The nativity was animated, all of the characters moved, a challenge for Julian, Susana’s father, next year maybe as he also puts together the nativity in Guisando.

We like it here, so decide to find somewhere that maybe we can park up and sleep the night.

But there is still time for lots more Susu photos.

 

Many of the structures are difficult to explain. Maybe this house has been split into two apartments, their stair was added later to allow access. There are lots of these idiosyncrasies all over the village.

Tunnels leading to further doorways.

And arches keeping the buildings apart.

Dead end streets, lots of infill properties here, every building is in someway an infill.

It is getting late now, the mist is closing in, so we find an empty car park for the night and settle in.

GDR